Israel is holding in custody the Kabul bureau chief of the Arabic language Al Jazeera network on accusations that he is affiliated with the terrorist Hamas group.

Samir Allawi reportedly was arrested last week while crossing from the West Bank to Jordan on his way back to Afghanistan. He had spent three weeks visiting his family in a West Bank town near Nablus.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, in a statement issued Aug. 15, called on Israel to clarify why it is holding Allawi.

Israel authorities say they are holding Allawi on a “security-related arrest.” — jta